Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-01-28
SkINFliNTS.
Gath Gives some specimens.

named James III. Paine. is worth par
agraph As contrasting with the many
new-made fortunes we have grown jeal-
Gus of. This man Paine appears to be-
long to an old family. and Judge from
some family names. which creep into
the local items, that he was of the family
of Robert Treat Paine, who was n sgner
of theDeclaration of Independence This
Robert Treat Paine the first was Bos-
ton chap who graduated at Harvard Col =
| lege at the brink of the French wars,
and, becoming a Clergyman, went as
a chaplain with the American troops to
! Canada He then drifted To Europe as
"A mercantile clerk, and studied law
time teaching school. He settled at
Taunton, Mass. and was assistant pros
ecuting attorney against the British
! troops in the Boston massacre.
He was in congress during much of
the Revolution; was Encouragement of
Massachusetts, and went on the SUI
/ preme bench there, where he sat until
he became deaf and could hardly hold
up his head Throughout life he bore
! the reputation of unnecessary strict
ness and harshness, and he is, there
| fore, one of those New Englanders
about whom little is known in the rest
of the country, because he had no SEN
timent nor breadth.
The curious nature Of this family is
further testified by the career of Robert
Treat Paine ) son, who bore the same
name and who died three years before
his father al the age of only thirty
eight. This eccentric young man had
his name changed BY the legislature be-
cause he had been called Thomas Paine
originally. He said he wanted to have
a Christian name.
At college he was a poet, precursor
of Longfellow and Bryant. AMI coming
out OF school he went into counting
house, but there he used to write poetry
in his day-book and 90 ont at night and
write theatrical criticisms, which nearly
broke the heart of all the Paines in
Massachusetts, Then he married Miss
Baker an actress, when his Old father
sat down on him, and he was compell-
ed To resort to poetry Tor Il livelihood.
which had always been bad enough
His poems, however. made aim little
money, and he sold a newspaper he had
started, which bore the curious name
of the Federal Orary, and was published
twice "A week, All agreeable cCmprom ise
in issuing He took enough time to
write up the paper TO have it appear
twice and no more.
Much OF the time, while his father
was sitting on the bench, the young lad
was master of ceremonies at the thea
ter, the people having created that Of
flee in order to still further Dewilder
and eXasperate the responsibility of
Massachusetts. The younger Paine
finally sat down to work in earnest, and
studied law with Judge Parsons, and
delivered the euloyy OF Washington
when he died The Boston people OF
the worldly sort swarmcd around him,
and he babe far TO become notable
advocates; but suddenly he concluded
that money was not worth working for
if it involved so much mean company as
that of Judges. divine. and social prigs.
SO ne turned about, picked up the play
actors again, let time take care Of itself,
fNs
lis has come the curious Mr.. Paine. 1t
appears. who, concluding that there
was only one thing this world respected,
and that was money went about getting
it,, and then forgetting what he had
done with IL. Ii does indeed seem sim
gular that he could have put together
as much money a. he Il Il and left It any
where it would have turned up.
He had friend N the piano business
named Chickering TO whom he took
somewhere about $500, 900 in an old
bandana handkerchief and asked him
TO put it in his safe. The money was
found in all sorts of currency. from
postage notes up TO one-thousand-dol-
lar notes. One of the banks also re-
ported in time deposit of $40, 900
there This old man. in whose blood
probably was disposition TO be 4
spendthrift, and who went away by COM
batting his natural tastes. would live on
what would satisfy cat. and wander
around amid prominent and proud con-
nectons, hardly decently clad. In
Chicago and other towns. where he
bought real estate. he would make his
investments and not 90 near them. One
of his kin remarked in letter which
has come out in Court that
"He is so mserably spirited that he
has become thoroughly devoted to a
life OF abstinence and penury, so long
as his own money must be used to
feed and clothe him. He is not admit
ted into society Mt ali, and wanders